1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid container, a liquid consuming apparatus, a liquid supply system and a liquid container unit.
2. Related Art
In the related art, an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid consuming apparatus) has been known which includes a main tank (liquid container) containing an ink (liquid) consumed by a recording head (liquid consuming unit, liquid ejecting head) (for example, refer to JP-A-2000-301732). The main tank includes an air communication hole (air intake port) which can take outside air into an ink chamber when the amount of the ink contained in the ink chamber decreases due to the consumption of the ink. The air communication hole is formed at a vertically upper position in the ink chamber in order to suppress the outside intake air from being dissolved into the ink.
In addition, in the related art, an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid consuming apparatus) has been known which includes an ink tank (liquid container) containing an ink (liquid) consumed by an ejecting head (liquid consuming unit) (for example, refer to JP-A-2012-71585). The ink tank has an injection port (liquid injection port) and ink can be injected through the injection port into an ink chamber.
In the related art, an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid consuming apparatus) has been known in which a tank unit (liquid container unit) having a plurality of ink tanks (liquid container) containing an ink (liquid) is mounted to be attachable and detachable on a recording apparatus main body (for example, refer to JP-A-2012-61624). The tank unit is mounted on the recording apparatus main body when supplying the ink to an ink jet head (liquid consuming unit) which performs a printing (consuming) process, and in contrast, the tank unit is detached from the recording apparatus main body when ink is injected to the respective ink tanks.
In addition, in the related art, an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid consuming apparatus) has been known which includes an ink tank (liquid container) containing an ink (liquid) consumed by an ejecting head (liquid consuming unit) (for example, refer to JP-A-2012-66563). The ink tank is provided with a visible check window (visible surface) through which a position of the liquid level of the ink contained inside the ink tank can be observed. Furthermore, in the check window, an upper limit line (upper limit scale) indicating the containable amount of the ink in the ink tank and a lower limit line (lower limit scale) indicating that the ink contained inside the ink tank has been almost all used are displayed so as to extend long in the horizontal direction.
In addition, in the related art, an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid consuming apparatus) has been known which includes an ink tank (liquid container) capable of containing an ink (liquid) consumed by a liquid ejecting head (liquid consuming unit) ejecting the ink (for example, refer to JP-A-2004-148769). In the ink tank of such an ink jet recording apparatus, in order to avoid pressure fluctuations inside the ink tank due to changes in the temperature environment for example, an air opening port which causes the inside of the ink tank to be open to the air is disposed.
In addition, in the related art, an ink jet recording apparatus has been known which includes an ink tank capable of containing an ink (liquid) consumed by a recording head (liquid consuming unit) ejecting the ink. The ink tank includes an ink cartridge (liquid container) as an example (for example, refer to JP-A-2010-208264). In addition, the ink used for such an ink jet recording apparatus, like the pigmented ink for example, may have a certain unevenness in the density with the lapse of time. Therefore, the ink cartridge in the ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink containing chamber (liquid containing chamber) capable of containing the ink, an ink introducing port capable of introducing the ink to the inside of the ink containing chamber from the outside, and an ink outlet port (liquid outlet port) through which the ink from the inside of the ink containing chamber can flow to the ink jet recording apparatus side. Furthermore, between the ink introducing port and the ink outlet port in the bottom surface of the ink containing chamber, a plurality of ribs having a notch is extended. That is, the ink introduced by the ink introducing port flows out from the ink outlet port after a thin ink passing through the upper side of the rib and a thick ink passing through the notch are mixed all together.
In addition, an ink tank (liquid container) in an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid consuming apparatus) including the ink tank has an outlet port (liquid outlet port) for causing an ink to flow out from an ink chamber (liquid containing chamber) containing the ink to a liquid ejecting head side. In many cases, the outlet port is disposed at the bottom portion of the ink chamber (for example, refer to JP-A-2012-51308).